This invention relates to protective or decorative vinyl ether-based coatings for wood, metal, paper, glass, and plastics where it is important to maintain certain properties such as color stability, thermal stability, mechanical stability, hydrolytic stability, and resistance to embrittlement, and to minimize or prevent other properties such as hydrogen generation and blocking.
An example of the instant invention is an optical fiber coating. Optical fibers are typically coated with a primary coating to cushion against micro-bending and a secondary coating for abrasion resistance. Problems with these coatings include long term stability, hydrogen generation, and "blocking" or fiber-fiber adhesion. Long term stability is important as the intended lifetime of optical fibers is approximately 30 years. Premature failure of the fiber coating cannot be tolerated. It is also important that degradation of the coating does not affect its surface characteristics. This could lead to surface adhesion (blocking) of the coated fibers upon later processing, or fouling of the processing equipment during manufacture. Blocking may also occur after coating because of a change in the surface energy over time. The generation of hydrogen is thought to be due to degradation of the coating. Hydrogen then reacts with the glass, resulting in a reduction in light transmission. Another concern is the adhesion (coupling) of the coating to the glass fibers.